Bible Dictionary

Canaan

The name of the fourth son of Ham (Gen. 9:22; 10:6); also used to denote the tribe inhabiting the lowland (hence the name) toward the Mediterranean coast of Palestine; sometimes as a general name for all the non-Israelite inhabitants of the country west of Jordan, called by the Greeks Phoenicians. The Hebrew and Phoenician languages were almost identical. As the Phoenicians were great traders, Canaanite came to denote merchant (Isa. 23:8; Ezek. 17:4; Hosea 12:7).